How to prevent rust on airguns?

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Shinyknight

Shinyknight

Member
Feb 26, 2019
378
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Minnesota
Hello guys. I was wondering is there such a thing to prevent rust on airguns? Like some kind of spray or wax or anything to rub on the gun to stop it from rusting? I have a few guns sitting in the safe without touching for a year or so and when I check them. They would have rust spots usually on the outter barrels and air tubes. Also pulled liner out from my impact and I can see it's rusted also. Here is a photo of my liner pulled from my impact vs a new liner. Want to know what you guys use to prevent rust buildup.

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Mr.H said:
A few years ago, a member did a fairly exhaustive test on a variety of rust preventatives. Maybe if you do a "search" you can find it.
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@Shinyknight It's a basic question and there's info in the threads on the topic. Personally if I know I won't use a gun for a while, I will first wipe off any sweat, water, or oils (from my hands and skin) with a clean rag. Next I will wipe the outside of the gun down with Ballistol oil while wearing gloves. I'd also run a couple of Balistol oil soaked patches through the barrel maybe a dry one and a slightly oily patch behind it. I've read of folks using Frog Lube or Metallophilc oil on the outside of their guns for long-term storage, but Ballistol has worked for me so far, inside (of the barrel) and out (outside surfaces of the gun). Also a dehumidifier inside of your safe (as previously suggested by another member) is helpful or using some large gun safe-sized desiccant containers (with these you'll have to open your safe and check the state of the desiccant periodically and recharge/dry them out when needed).

I suggest conducting an AGN search for more detailed info. Some 600 grit sandcloth should be able to take that rust off of the barrel if it's not pitted too bad. Then wipe it clean of grit and oil it down. This isn't a definitive answer, but better than what you currently have going. I encourage you to look more into the topic for more answers.
 
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I have been using regular clear floor wax on my firearms for many years. I figured that it's used on cars/trucks and protects them, why not guns? I clean, then wipe-down the surfaces very well to remove any residue, then use Trewax, Clear Wood Floor Wax. Normally I lay down 3-4 wax coats and call it a day. Of course it doesn't matter that it's on the wood as it preserves that too. Never any rust on my firearms.


I will state that I DO live in a pretty dry clime, so I'm certain that also has something to do with rust mitigation.

There is also a high dollar (more than the above Trewax) wax, used in museums for firearms and many relics called Renaissance Wax. It has some sort of crystalline derivative and costs more than regular wax but it's supposed to be supreme in protection. I have also used that wax, after using the Renaissance Wax Pre-Wax (recommended). It comes in small tins, but goes a LONG way as you only use a minor amount.


Since the regular wax works well for me, that's what I use now.
No matter what wax you use DO NOT USE WAX THAT HAS CLEANERS IN IT, that usually has chemical or grit within, neither of which is good for gun bluing. Also, if the bluing is a matte type of finish, the wax will turn white when dry in all of the little, tiny uneven parts of the finish, not a good look!

Hopeful that this helps!

Mike
 
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when i was making knives, i used to make a solution of baking soda and water in a bucket to dip my knives into while grinding
did this to keep rust from forming on the raw steel
it's very effective to clean/prevent rust
and agree with @Revoman about the wax
you didn't mention how they were stored, but if it was inside a case ..looks like you had some water in there
 
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I sometimes wipe my guns outside with ballistol. The main reason being they somethimes get wet if it starts raining, when I am shooting. But since your liner has started to rust inside the barrel sleeve, I would guess you store the gun in to high humidity?
I have so far never seen that on any of my FX liners. They have all been stored dry. Think internal parts like hammer, springs, and trigger mechanics are not supposed to be oiled.
I personally would not relly on getting the internals of the gun oiled up, but rather store the gun in a drier enviroment.
 
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Clean the rust off with fine steel wool and light oil. Strip it with acetone. Wax it a couple coats with paste wax. Neutral shoe polish works great.

The wax has worked better than oil for me. Especially where you grab the barrel on a springer. You just have to get all the dirt, rust and oil off the metal before it goes on.
 
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Ballistol was insufficient for me when I lived in Oregon. Frog Lube worked great as a preservative, but was a lousy cleaner for powder-burners and it's incompatible with petroleum distillates, so it's kind of all or nothing. I'd probably revisit it today for airguns if I didn't now live in a pretty rust-free climate. LPS-3/4 were the hands-down winners, but only for surfaces you aren't going to touch for a while.

GsT
 
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Any oil is probably better than no oil. Silicone wipe down or a silicone impregnated sleeve might be good for anticipated long term storage. I use a Goldenrod to elevate the internal safe temp and help displace moisture, but also employ rechargeable desiccant cartridges, as well as maintaining a controlled level of temp and humidity outside of the safe. There may be some redundancy in my system, but what I don’t have is rust.
 
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